The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-05
SLEEPING CAR PORTERs.
One OF then, Says that their Life 10 Ne joke
and their Business 10 Net Profitable.

SOC lOtS OF phrukrnpnS gong ABOUT III tne pu-
pers pick IN in tho car, and 1t seems every.
body is down on the porter because he expects
twenty-five cents f9r nights attendance and q
The colored man H. perhaps 80 years OF age,
and has been sleeping car porter for twelve
years, He says no has gotten through with
thing else for livelihood ;" havS read Jokes
about the class I once belonged to tin I'm
you listen to that =
With pleasure"
understand that tho err. porter Is tho worst
treated OF the laboring class OF people. Por-
sons who travel constantly understand this
aus sh9a on, of Sharks shark euh u Is true sr The
deserving class. and ought to have more favor
abl9 recognition. What l want to say first.
@ the o5e re- sk q FREY c hs eS e"
a month Some men get little more; some
port families il we have them. buy uniforms,
pay fines. and work on an average eighteen
-, 20, but you are supposed to help this out by
That is just what want to talk about. Do
you think great corporation, Boosting ITS
millions or more surplus. ought to force It's
servants servants to get their support from the public
The argument was unanswerablc;
But" continued tho exporter. that is not
Is usually KEEP, back in the guhise Of fines,
Il in D Most The work Of q %"
s n T poo must se ss up a aad t Tas
Elm p napp g h'm rSne 81
Ports ps m Rm hs IS = snGG ali IF Salary
due is taken. Smaller fines are imposed.
RANGING fpGm set to 81 which ma often eat
sources Of fine is the linen of the car. II q
towel T. missing the poor porter Is charged ,i
have to use extra linen. They don't ston to
think, but take It. Tho porter L. charged fifty
gets lost it means half a. dollar fine Soap they
don't charge us for. which is wonder, The
bufret:.car porters are charged twice the retail
break, for every napkin that gets lost. and for
every, ounce of provisions not accounted for as
calculated on the narrowest basis"
Then there does not seem to be much in tho
carporteraGe profession except it be from tips?"
There is mighty little In that the way, the
thing Is running The p p Pic have got LITTLE
and q good many moro lO-cent pieces get into
our hands than quarters good many people
Is for iadies-weli, they never give us anything;
IhsSy think Ps we aIe ahd EoSd and
az IS IS &'1 e of the
car porter POI t. taking his salary free from fines
1T viii run from s45 to SIS a month. But 1
want to say that his salary ought not to count.
for in seven cases out Of ten the salary Is eaten
SSd the The run IS bS
tween Chicago and st. Louis. A porter can on
that run. If he is lucky on fines and hasn't too
sS % 81 u k BH that's the only run in the
What makes It so valuable?'"
Its short.t's simply all night. The cars
are always full. and every passenger is good
for Quarter or a dime Il ut least n.,. a.,
best Say Say the New York mitedisnt that
is tho worst that Is sent out. 1t is supposed to
be the best for tips. considering the class OF
travel SO the companies only pay sl2 or So
see there's only one night out. Now, you can't
get moron quarter for u one-n night run,
and then you've always got to discount the Ia
dies AS. said before, Indies never pay any
bn they SSn sse the pd & Of ZINES
I've brushed till I've got tired, and the only ro.:
ward WIS request to get the baby 10y, glass s Of
lunch hamper. don't go much on ladies as
passengers"
st. hPs eo%es ne Rs best ordinary
trains, but the fast trains, no! You SEQ. tho
ordinary trains stop offener, get on more pas
trains are worth about 500 month, including
salary, If 1t is not taken from you,
49,, How are the very long runs like those to
They're no good as regular thing It was
reported once that h the bonn H silver people
wages were cut cut from $50 down to MONTH
The boys we're not getting ah any such money
Jones came over the porter, got a couple OF
gold pieces. but II was no regular thing. Fifty
cents Is about the average on the run from ron,
or at least can't count on it. That whole run
amt worth more than $50 month";"
The colored man then spoke Of another thing.
Wpa nall nI IN 100 fn n uh,n Inn,
a contract with the company. We have to pay
him s25 for such blue suits as you travellers
Chicago that would not make them up Of better
material and shapeier cut for $40. We have to
pay s225 for our caps, and those we are COM ON,
mine once and had to get q new one. l had It
made at a Clark street place fol, Just 81. and it
to pay $50 for from the company,s tailor, just
q ana mad
But" continued the colored man. there
are other petty exactions. These come from
the porteT's responsibility for the he. company's
rule that porters at terminal stations and also
en- route must clean their spitt3,oRs buffets,
porter stops to do 1t he will have. but little timo
to rest and be at home with his family; There
lose his rest or hire some one to do the work
for him The companies make it point to
HuNo u man OF tWO iTouuu WHOIu lHe pUTleT
can pay to do, the work il he can. employ
him. Usually inc Porter can fst his
cents. and his silver for half a dollar, but
the buffet the porter must clean himself.
The porters who run into New York. Jersey
City. and Philadelphia have to pay more than
these rates. In Jersey City, unless the porter
wants to wait. from one to three hours to OK
change his soiled linen for clean he has to pay
a man whom S1c n II the companies keep around IS
ming into tho Union Depot in Chicago have to
pay from Is to IS conts to have the company's
linen taken from their cars to tho linen ROOM
There Is no way to get around paying this
rot long enough for the porter to, carry tho
linen himself. These are some Of tho indirect
ways In which the much abused and il-used
portors are defrauded Of their ,patry pittance."
Are all companies alike in these exactions"
Yes"
How about tho roads that run their own
cars, like the Wisconsin Central, milwaukee,
and Lake Shore, and othersf"
They usually pay $40 or $45 a month and
don't expect us to ko tips. But, dear mew
exclaimed the colored man. THERE'S mighty
stances where seepiing-car company put It's
own and who were paying good wages. This